Goals, Visions and Affirmations Method - Part 3

This series introduces a new, hypnotherapy based method that you can use now and throughout the year to help set and achieve the goals your desire. Part 1 covered an exercise to help you get in touch with goals in different areas of your life. Part 2 helps translate your goals into an inspiring and motivating vision board. Part 3 is about using Affirmations to influence your subconscious mind and harness its power to help you reach your goals.

What’s dancing in your head? We have self-talk in our heads all day long.  What you are saying to yourself can make a real difference.  Is your self-talk negative or positive?  Do you constantly criticize yourself? Berate yourself for what you may not have yet accomplished? OR Are you telling yourself “I am powerful!”, “I am successful”, “I am a winner”?

One way to counter that negative self-talk is by creating a set of positive affirmations that you can use all day long.  Affirmations are very easy to write.  Just remember to keep them positive and begin with an “I” statement.  You do not have to believe your affirmations yet; they are about goals and aspirations.  They are a way of sealing in ideas that you would like to have be true.  “I am a permanent non-smoker.”  “I easily achieve and maintain my weight management goal.”

You can choose one affirmation each day to focus on. Make that your mantra for the day.  If you are going to be flying tomorrow and you are anxious, make your mantra for that day something like, “I love to fly and I am looking forward to my vacation in Bali.”

You can use AFFIRMATIONS to:

• Motivate yourself

• Keep your mind focused on your goals.

• Make positive changes in the way you think, feel and act.

• Influence the subconscious mind and harness its powers to help you reach your goals.

• Shift your mindset and life experience to a more positive, energetic and active world view.

The best time to repeat affirmations is the last thing at night and first thing in the morning.  Each evening our subconscious mind “Takes over” as we prepare for sleep.  This is the time when your subconscious mind is most available for programming.  As we are sleeping, the mind uses dreaming to deal with all the things that have happened during the day.  When you read your affirmations out loud before falling asleep, they enter your subconscious and begin to make changes.

When you write them as well, another part of your brain is engaged and the affirmations are even more effective. 

When you wake up in the morning, you still have some access to your subconscious mind.  Read the affirmations again to set the stage for your day.  Even better?  Say them out loud in front of a mirror.

I offer each of my clients a copy of my book and journal, The Power in Affirmations. Clients use this as part of their daily practice to reinforce their personal Affirmations and track progress toward their goals.  The journal also contains space to write what you are grateful for each day.  This is another way to focus on the positives in your life. 

If you would like to work together on setting your goals and designing your affirmations for 2021, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Cinda

HYPNONEWS and RESOURCES

For another look at affirmations from a different perspective -

https://www.mindtosucceed.com/positive-affirmations-self-esteem.html

The science behind affirmations - does science believe they work? https://positivepsychology.com/daily-affirmations/

Goals, Visions and Affirmations Method - Part 2

This series introduces a new, hypnotherapy based method that you can use now and throughout the year to help set and achieve the goals that you desire. Part 1 covered an exercise to help you get in touch with goals you may have in different areas of your life. Part 2 is about translating your goals into an inspiring and motivating vision board.

A vision board is a physical representation of the goals you want to achieve. It serves as a visual reminder of what you would like to see in your life, what changes you want to make and what you want to focus on each day. As you focus on your vision board images and words, it reinforces your subconscious mind to motivate and encourage you toward achieving your goals.

I like to make a new vision board at the beginning of each New Year.

My vision board for 2019 included beautiful pictures of a Mediterranean island – little did I know I’d spend time that summer on the Greek island of Corfu. 

It also included a picture of a family eating outside at a long table under market lights.  Last summer my son put market lights in my backyard and we have had many socially distanced family dinners out there together. 

One of the phrases I picked was “Clean Out”   --- Little did I know I’d have time to clean and organize my spice cupboard, my coffee cupboard, my pantry, my junk drawer and everything else!! 

Caution – be careful what you put on your board, it may just come true.

You can make the board all about one area of your life or a general board that encompasses all areas.  If your focus this year is on your business, for example, you might use words and pictures that remind you what you will achieve in your business this year.  If you are focused on your healthy weight management journey, you could choose images and words that inspire you towards that goal.  You might select pictures of yourself at your goal weight, pictures of activities you’d like to do and healthy foods that you’d like to include in your plan. 

I usually make one large board for all parts of my life and divide the board into sections in my mind so that one corner is business, one corner is personal, one corner is recreation and one corner is health. I like to see how they are interwoven. For me, keeping a balance between business and personal is important. I remember in one vision board I actually had a bridge connecting the different parts of my life.

Making a vision board is simple and fun.  Get a large poster board – I like to use one at least 3 feet by 3 feet, a stack of magazines, scissors, glue and some paper and markers. 

Take a moment after you have your supplies to pause, close your eyes and do a short exercise like the exercise in Part 1. Calmly sit, relax from your head to your toes and imagine your life at the end of the year. What changes would you like to see? What goals would you like to achieve?

Now, your job is to find pictures and words that speak to you of those goals.  After you have a group of pictures and words, lay them out on the poster board and paste them down.  If there are words or phrases that you couldn’t find you can write them down and add them to the mix. You can also print pictures and words from your computer – any source works.

When your vision board is ready, put it in a place where you can see it and be inspired by it every day.  You can even add to it if you find things that you might have missed on the initial board.

In a year, take a look and see which of the things you aimed for have come to be.  I think you may be very surprised.  I always am.

If you would like to work together on setting your goals and creating your vision board for 2021, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Cinda

HypnoNews and Resources

Here’s a link to a great set of example vision boards for a wide range of goals and time frames:

https://parentuniversity.wws.k12.in.us/?p=3260

To Dream or Not to Dream - The Why and How of Vision Boards

Everything is created twice – first in the mind and then in reality.”  Robin Sharma

I created the vision board above in August, 2018. So many things on that board have already come true! I visited Corfu in 2019 and it looked just like the picture on the top left.  I got 2 new gray sofas and chairs.  I spend time at the beach each week.  I cleaned out much of my house.  I had the best year ever in my business.

Ever wonder why vision boards actually work?  They help you to create what you want in your mind so that you can create it in reality.  I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me, “All those things I put on my vision board came true…”  If you are not sure where you are going, give yourself permission to explore where you might end up.  Why not take some time and focus on your dream?

Supplies you will need include a large poster board, any size, color or shape will work, magazines with good pictures, scissors, glue and your imagination.

To start:  Close your eyes, take a few moments and count backwards from ten to zero to calm and center yourself.  When you get to zero, picture or imagine where you want to be in one year.  This will be the vision on your vision board.  Go through the magazines and cut out pictures and words and phrases that resonate with you.  Don’t worry about where they will go right now, just collect lots of cutouts.

When you have a good supply of pictures and words, start arranging them on the poster board.  Take a look at how the items are arranged and start to paste them to the board.  Be creative, this is just for you and your future.  You might have different sections on your board, personal, business, etc. or one big vision.

Once you have completed your vision board, the next step is to find a place to display it where you can see it every day and let it guide your subconscious mind toward your dream.

An alternative to a physical vision board is creating one on your computer (with Canva or Pinterest) and using it as a screensaver. I’m old school. I like to be able to hang the vision board on my wall and look at it as the year progresses.

I hope this encourages you to consider taking some time to be creative right now.  I know I will be doing a vision board soon.

If you would like some encouragement, call me for a free private consultation. I am ready to work with you online. You can reach out today.